Most consumers have come to expect scented detergent products and to expect that fabrics and other items which have been laundered with these products also have a pleasing fragrance. Further, perfumes by their ability to provide an olfactory aesthetic benefit can serve as a signal of cleanliness.
Therefore, it is desirable and commercially beneficial to add perfume materials to such products. Perfume additives make laundry compositions more aesthetically pleasing to the consumer, and in some cases the perfume imparts a pleasant fragrance to fabrics treated therewith. However, the amount of perfume carry-over from an aqueous laundry bath onto fabrics is often marginal. Industry, therefore, has long searched for an effective perfume delivery system for use in detergent products which provides long-lasting, storage-stable fragrance to the product, as well as fragrance which masks wet solution odor during use and provides fragrance to the laundered items.
Detergent compositions which contain perfume mixed with or sprayed onto the compositions are well known from commercial practice. Because perfumes are made of a combination of volatile compounds, perfume can be continuously emitted from simple solutions and dry mixes to which the perfume has been added. Various techniques have been developed to hinder or delay the release of perfume from compositions so that they will remain aesthetically pleasing for a longer length of time. To date, however, few of the methods deliver significant fabric and wet solution odor benefits after prolonged storage of the product.
Moreover, there has been a continuing search for methods and compositions which will effectively and efficiently deliver perfume into an aqueous laundry bath providing a relatively strong scent in the headspace just above the solution, then from the laundry bath onto fabric surfaces. Various methods of perfume delivery have been developed involving protection of the perfume through the wash cycle, with subsequent release of the perfume onto fabrics.
One method for delivery of perfume in the wash cycle involves combining the perfume with an emulsifier and water-soluble polymer, forming the mixture into particles, and adding them to a laundry composition, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,417, Whyte, issued Jun. 24, 1980; U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,356, Whyte, issued Jul. 13, 1982; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,760, Gould et al, issued Apr. 27, 1971.
However, even with the substantial work done by industry in this area, a need still exists for a simple, more efficient and effective perfume delivery system which can be mixed with laundry compositions to provide initial and lasting perfume benefits to fabrics which have been treated with the laundry product.
Another problem in providing perfumed products is the odor intensity associated with the products, especially high density granular detergent compositions. As the density and concentration of the detergent composition increase, the odor from the perfume components can become undesirably intense. A need therefore exists for a perfume delivery system which substantially releases the perfume odor during use and thereafter from the dry fabric, but which does not provide an overly- intensive odor to the product itself.
Still another problem in providing perfumes for products is the odor intensity on fabrics. Indeed, nowadays with the trends for consumer to have mixed laundering such as synthetic and cotton. it is desirable to provide increased odour on both synthetic and cotton fabrics. It has now been found that odor intensity although good on wet fabric is somewhat lessened on dry fabrics, in particular dry cotton fabrics. Accordingly, a need exists for a perfume delivery system which substantially releases the perfume odor during use and thereafter from the dry fabric whatever the type of fabrics treated therewith.
By the present invention, it has now been discovered that perfume ingredients, can be selected based on specific selection criteria to maximize impact during and/or after the wash process, while minimizing the amount of ingredients needed in total to achieve a consumer noticeable benefit. Such compositions are desirable not only for their consumer noticeable benefits (e.g., odor aesthetics), but also for their potentially reduced cost through efficient use of lesser amounts of ingredients.
The present invention solves the long-standing need for a simple, effective, storage-stable delivery system which provides surprising odor benefits (especially odor benefits on fabrics) after the laundering process. Further, encapsulated perfume-containing compositions have reduced product odor during storage of the composition.